Rail-joint.



C. P. KIMMEL.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.28. mm.

Patented July 6, 1915,

CHARLES E. KIIVIMEL, F GARY, INDIANA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July d, 11ers.

Application filed August 28, 1191s. Serial No. 859,065.

jib whom it'may concern:

Be it known that I, GHARLEs P. KIMMEL, citizen. of the United States,and resident of Gary, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and usea rolling iul improvements in Rail-Joints,of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements n joints for railway rails, andit has as its main and primary object the provision of a joint of thischaracter which is constructed and designed to afford a high degree ofrigidity, thereby firmly to support the contiguous rail ends andmaintain the same in parallel relation. The invention, therefore,

obtains the decided advantage of eliminating battering of the ends ofthe rails incident to the passage of. the wheels of the vents dubbing ofthe ends of the rails-a feature of objection prevalent in rail joints ascommonly employed.

TlFurthermore, the invention also aims to provide a-novel form of railjoint wherein provision is made to overcome wear on the angle bars underthe head of the rails at their ends, the construction of the joint beingsuch as to provide a tight, compact re- ;lation of the angle bars to thehead of the and precluding relative'movement of the same. By reason ofthis alinement of the ends oi the rails is maintained and sidewisemovement or the rails is also prevented.

A further object contemplated by the present inve a is the production ofa rail joint of n construction as also to prevent separation of themeeting rail ends in the event of the angle bars becoming loose orentirely detached from the rails. This insures safety and enables therails to be held in proper alinement until the angle bars can betightened. or replaced by new ones, and obviously reduces liability ofaccidents to a minimum.

With these general objects in View, and others which will appear as thenature of the improvements is better understood, the invention consistssubstantially in the novel construction, combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter fully-described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and finally pointed out in the appended claims, but it will bealso understood that the form of the invention herein disclosed is onlya preferred embodiment thereof and that the stock thercover, andefi'ectually pre rails, thus obtaining bracing of the rail ends.

same is therefore susceptible of change, modification and variation andthe right is accordingly reserved to change, modify or vary theinvention as falls Within the spirit thereof.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a rail jointconstructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrated inapplied position at the meeting ends of two contiguous rails. tionalview thereof, illustrating the parts in their initial position ofapplication. Fig. 3 is a similar view, the parts being illustrated asfully applied.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 10designates the meeting ends of a pair of railway rails and 11 the baseplate of the. herein described joint. The plate 11 follows the generalcontour of railway joint plates, the same being provided with dependingribs 12 at its under side to take into the wooden ties and thus preventlateral movement of the plate. At the marginal portions of the plate 11are provided upwardly extending inwardly directed flanges 13. Theseflanges are designed to overlap the base flanges of the rails 10 and areformed integral with the plate 11, as clearly disclosed in Figs. 2 and3. It will be noted, however, that each of the flanges 13 at a pointadjacent to its joinder with the plate 11 is reduced in thickness inorder to provide a bending point and there by enable the flanges 13 toassume the inwardly directed position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Thisreduction in thickness is accomplished by the formation of alongitudinally extending groove is and by the forma tion of this grooveit will also be noted that an inwardly disposed rib 15 is provided atthe inner surface of each of the flanges 13. The purpose of this rib isto take against the upper contiguous surface of the base flanges of therailsin the initial position of the am as illustrated in Fig. 2 so thatthe body of the plate 11 will be drawn into close contact with theunderside of the rail bases. This will appear more fully hereinafter.

Associated with each of the flanges 13, and arranged in superimposedrelation thereto, is an angle or splice bar 16. The upper and lowersurfaces of each of these bars 16 are slightly inclined as at 17 and 18respectively, thereby providing wedging surfaces,

and these surfaces coiiperate with the inclmed under-side. of the headsof the rails Fig. 2 is a transverse secand the upper face of theadjacent flange 13 so that each of the angle bars 16 serves inthecapacity of a wedge as between the heads of the rails and said flanges.

A Each of the angle bars 16 exerts a compressive strain upon Lhe flange13 with which it is associated, and to the attaining of this end thebars 16 are perforated at spaced intervals as at 19 said perforationsreceiving a series of bolts 20 having the usual threaded nuts 21 upontheir threaded ends. The bolts 20 pass through enlarged openin s 22formed in the webs of the rails 10, an' it will be. noted at. this pointthat the size of these openin is slightly greater than the diameter of te bolts 20 in order that the latter may have free movement in said,openings when the parts of the joint are being assembled. This alsoprovides for a proper expansion and contraction of the ralls underclimatic changes.

In assembling the joint of the present in- "vention at the meeting endsof a pair of rails it will be understood that the base late 11 receivesthe ends in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2, the'flanges 13 being thenin their initial position and suflieie'ptly spaced from the base flan esof the rails to enable free movement of t e base plate with respect tothe ends. The an le bars 16 are then applied to the sides of t e webs ofthe rails and the bolts '20 introduced through the openings 19 and 22..In this position the lower sides of the angle bars rest upon theflanges 13, while their upper sides abut against the inclined lowersides of the rail heads. As the nuts 21 are tightened upon the bolts 20the angle bars 16 are gradually drawn inwardly and toward the webs ofthe rails, and in this movement it is obvious that the Wedge surfaces 17in following the inclined undersides of the rail heads willcause adownward movement of the angle bars, while the beveled lower faces 18thereof: will also follow the inclined surfaces of the flanges 13. Thismovement of the bars 16 compresses the flanges 13 upon the bases of therails and forces said flanges to the osition illustrated in Fi 3, thusclampmg the rails tightly within the base plate 11., In the initialstage of assembling the parts the internal ribs 15 seat against theedges of the base flanges. As the downward pressure is exerted upon theflanges 13 it will be seen that the ribseifectually hold the rail basesupon the plate 11 and in the gradual compression of the flanges thisplate is drawn into ti ht relation with the rails. As indicatedt einward movement of the angle bars 16 under stress of the tightening ofthe bolts, serves efi'ectually to create a wedging action between theheads of the rails and the flanges 13, and by reason of this it will beseen that the bars 16 65 serve to su ort the rail heads in alinement andpreclude battering of the rails incident to the passage of the rollingstoc over the meeting ends. Furthermore, in "the event of the looseningof the bars 16 or their en-* the detachment from the rails, the flanges13 will also prevent the lateral movement of the rail ends and thusreduce the liability of accident to aininimum.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rail joint, the combination with a base plate provided at itsmarginal portions with inwardly extending flanges adapted to overlie thebase flanges of the rails seated upon said plate, each of said flangeshaving an inwardly disposed rib for engagement with the base flanges ofthe rails, of means for compressing the flanges of the base plate uponthe base flanges of the rails to hold the latter within the base plate.

2. In a rail joint, the combination with a base plate provided at itsmarginal pprtions with inwardly-extending flanges adapted to overlie thebase flanges of the rails seated upon said plate, the inner face of eachof said flanges adjacent to its point of joinder with the base platebeing longitudinally grooved to provide a bending point, whereby topermitmovement of the flan es relatively to the base plate, of means orcompressing the flanges of the base plate upon the base flanges of therails to hold the latter within the base plate.

3. In a rail joint, the combination with a, base plate provided withflanges adapted tooverlie the base flanges of the rails seated upon saidplate, each of said flanges having a portion reduced in thickness toprovide a. bending point whereby to permit movement lot of the flangesrelatively to the base plate, of

means for compressing the flanges of the base plate upon the baseflanges of the rails to hold the latter within the base plate.-. 4. In arail joint, the combination with a base plate provided at its marginalportions with inwardly-extending flanges adapted to overlie the baseflanges of the rails seated upon said plate, the inner face of each ofsaid flanges adjacent to its point of joinder with the base plate beinglongitudinally grooved to provide a. bendin point, whereby to permitmovement of t e flanges relativelyto the bas P and also having aninwardly disposed rib for engagement with the contiguous base flanges ofthe rails, of;

means for'compressing the flanges of the base plate upon the baseflanges'of-th'e rails; to hold the latter within the hase'g-platef 5. Ina rail-joint," the combination of a base plate having upwardlex'tendin'garail abutting flanges, and mi base" on a ar flangesjoined'to said rail abutting tinge; by a relatively thin sectionof'metamas;- bv said last named flanges may be readilv" R bent to conform tothe contour of the rail base, substantially as described.

6. In arail joint, the combination of a.

' base plate having spike holes at its marginal .ing flanges springingfrom said rail engagmg flanges and 01ned thereto bv a relatively thinsection of metal, end a clamp fer securing said oint to the Web of arail suem.

stantially as described. 7 CHARLES P. KIMMEL.

Witnesses:

B. L. COGSHALL, Hmnm E. GREGG.

